Lukashenka plays up cooperation with Russia

Alyaksandr Lukashenka hailed on Wednesday what he called the current form of cooperation between Belarus and Russia as "viable and very efficient."

While opening a meeting of the Belarusian-Russian Union State’s Supreme State Council in Moscow, the Belarusian leader expressed certainty that the talks would offer solutions to the most pressing problems affecting the bilateral relationship, according to Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, for his part, that "everything that we do in the framework of the Union State is very important for all integration processes in the ex-Soviet area."

He added that the Union State was "setting the tone" for other ex-Soviet blocs.

Mr. Lukashenka described Tuesday’s meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council as very fruitful and efficient, and said that Russian media commentators were positive about the results of the talks. "They unanimously shared the opinion that we had made yet another step toward the cherished goal of creating an economic union. I think it will be a good foundation for the future," he was quoted as saying.

"No matter whether someone may dislike it, we have made our mind, we are taking our route and I am certain that we will achieve the desired goal," said Mr. Lukashenka.